Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Finally

I finally bought Bingorage.com!!!

I am hoping that this will do a few things:
-make it easier for people to type in my URL
-make it easier for people to find me and my work
-allow students to see my work [blogspot domain blocked by local school system's filtering software]

It is going to take a few days to see if I made the changes correctly.

Please bookmark the new address and spread the new and improved URL!

Thanks. :Eric

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Monday, June 23, 2008

Long time gone fishing

Art wins!

CAE artist, Steve Kurtz wins!
"In May 2004, the Joint Terrorism Task Force illegally detained artist and SUNY Buffalo professor Steve Kurtz of Critical Art Ensemble (CAE). They seized documents, computers, and equipment used in four of CAE’s projects, including scientific equipment used to test food for the presence of genetically modified organisms. The seized materials included a project that was to have been part of an exhibition and performance at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) and three other projects that had been safely displayed in museums and galleries throughout Europe and North America. The New York State Commissioner of Public Health determined that the materials seized by the FBI pose no public safety risk. All of the materials are legal and commonly used for scientific education and research activities in universities and high schools, and are universally regarded by scientists as safe. Nevertheless, today Steve Kurtz and Robert Ferrell, Professor of Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health, face a possible 20 years in prison in what has become increasingly clear is a politically motivated attempt to silence an artist and scientist whose work is critical of government policy..."

New exhibition based on the materials, "Seized", will be on display at Hallwalls Contemporary Art Centre, Buffalo, NY; June 7 - July 18.

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Minister Prentice presses his Copyright Contract on Canada.

Talking Points, for discussing Bill C61.

How'd They Vote? Check out how your Canadian MP has voted.

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Scientists document evolutionary shift, in lab-domesticated E.Coli.

American Constitution, upheld.

Protest against police surveillance in Philadelphia, get raided.

Ojibwa entry, at art history club.

"Cahiague, the principle village of the Hurons..." gone to seed.

WWII tech, alt fuel car.

Excavations at rare Maidu sites "rile" local Natives.

RC Gorman estate to be auctioned, August 20-21, 2008.

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Rainy River evening pics [click to enlarge]:

The trees, in the foreground are actually on the flooded boat landing. This is either the Big Fork or Little Fork tributary of the Rainy.

Rainy River. Broken Vulture Art.

See the pelican?

Rainy River. Broken Vulture Art.

Rainy River. Broken Vulture Art.

An "orbs" photo. The 'orbs' in this shot are mosquitoes, reflecting the flash in a saturated atmosphere. Pic taken in flooded park.

Rainy River bottom

Late sunset.

Late sunset.

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Johnny helps pack the new cooler

Johnny cat helps out. Broken Vulture Art.

Johnny helps fold fresh laundry.

Johnny cat helps out. Broken Vulture Art.

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Grants opportunities for American artists, at Creative Capital.
"... a nonprofit organization, acts as a catalyst for the development of adventurous and imaginative ideas by supporting artists who pursue innovation in form and/or content in the performing and visual arts, film and video, and in emerging fields."

The Smithsonian public-domain photostream, at Flickr.

Trickster Gallery putting on Peltier Benefit Powwow and Concert, June 28, 2008; Chicago area.

Native author, teacher, and traditional artist Lois Beardslee. Bayliss Public Library, Sault Ste. Marie, ON; June 24, 2008.

American Cancer Society seeks Native stories about cancer.

Unusual "fortified village" archaeological site, in Alberta.

Papercraft pinhole cameras.

Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company's Ensemble Theatre Arts Program.

Native Earth Performing Arts
"Native Earth Performing Arts is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the creating, developing and producing of professional artistic expression of the Aboriginal experience in Canada..."

"Young aboriginals hope to break stereotypes through films that show real life"

Native blog for "Native Talent", modelling / acting / stuff.

Indigenous Internet Chamber of Commerce.

Shelley Morningsong review.

Beadwork
"Made of Thunder, Made of Glass: American Indian Beadwork of the Northeast" is on exhibit at the Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner through Nov. 30."

Great Northern Arts Festival
"Since 1989, up to 80 visual artists and 40 performers from across the North gather each summer in Inuvik to celebrate the diversity that is Canada's North. They are Inuit, Inuvialuit, Gwich'in, Dene, Metis and many of Canada's additional First Nations, as well as non-Aboriginal artists and artisans; they come from as far away as Pangnirtung on Baffin Island, Gjoa Haven in the Arctic Archipelago, Fort Smith on the NWT/Alberta border, and from the Yukon Territory. They come to show their work, meet other artists, see different styles of work and learn new techniques..."

Interview with Arvel Bird.

Educational resource page for Ojibway culture.

The Institute of Maya Studies.
"...Our mission is to educate the public on the pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas, with an emphasis on the study of the Maya..."



Honouring Tradition at the Glenbow, until July 13.

INDIANER INUIT: NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE FILM FESTIVAL March 18-22, 2009, Stuttgart/Germany

Photos of pictographs and petroglyphs of the Columbia River Gorge. Posted by Durm Photo.

Native Blog documenting the documentary film Lost Nation: The Ioway.

Daphne Odjig receives honourary degree from U of Western Ontario

9'th Northwest Biennial. July 26, 2008 deadline.
"The 9th Northwest Biennial is open to current residents of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Tacoma Art Museum employees, trustees, and their families are not eligible. Only work created since January 2007 will be considered."

The Triumph of Mischief, an exhibition by Irish/Cree artist Kent Monkman is ongoing, at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, until August 17, 2008.
"... Monkman's technique is central to the idea. His paintings are stunning, just like the Romantic art that he's referencing. The Triumph looks a lot like the German-American artist Bierstadt's paintings of the Sierra Nevada. The mountains seem too big and steep; the valley too flat. It's pretty clear where the exaggeration began.
The differences are in Monkman's references to Aboriginal culture. The androgynous figure in The Triumph is Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, a drag queen and Monkman's alter-ego. She was inspired by the berdache, a term Europeans used to describe Native men who appeared to transgress normative gender roles and who were accepted in their communities..."

2008 Indian Arts and Crafts Association, Artist of the Year, Mary Lou Big Day, "a beadworker and doll maker from the Crow Nation in Montana".

14th Annual Gateway to Nations NYC Native American Heritage Celebration photo slideshow.

Interview with Rhianna Yazzie, Navajo playwright. Podcast available for download, as well.

The 4th Annual Kalama Heritage Festival Aug 23rd & 24th 2008. Seeking Native and Hawaiian vendors.

Pueblo Clay
"The American Museum of Ceramic Art presents Pueblo Clay, America’s First Pottery, on view through July 12th, 2008"

Interview with Native Comics Artist, Weshoyot Alvitre.

New Tim Giago article.

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Stolen Native Art:

Have you seen this stolen Morrisseau painting?

Most of the Bill Reid stolen art has been recovered.

FBI returns stolen (Southwest) American Indian artifacts to their owners.

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Monday, June 09, 2008

sails, elephant, bones

From BoingBoing; Secret super-copyright treaty MEMO leaked.
"... a draft treaty that does away with those pesky public trade-negotiations at the United Nations (with participation from citizens' groups and public interest groups) in favor of secret, closed-door meetings where entertainment industry giants get to give marching orders to governments in private.
It's some pretty crazy reading -- among other things, ACTA will outlaw P2P (even when used to share works that are legally available, like my books), and crack down on things like region-free DVD players. All of this is taking place out of the public eye..."

Direct link to Wikileaks entry.

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Canadian Blog Awards

US quits UN Human Rights Council?

Flash screencast of Firefox3's new features.

Forestry conglomerate giving up logging in disputed forest after 5 year native protest.

Beauty's Bionic Beak

Tribes continued struggle to repatriate remains.
"... For the 50-plus Native Americans and activists that converged on the Witte last weekend, marching, drumming, and singing, the 1930s excavation from the Shumla site represents a sacrilege. To this group, the continued holding of the bones, as well as the ongoing handling they receive, represent the continuation of genocidal practices aimed at wiping out Indian culture..."

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Sailing on Rainy Lake [click to enlarge]

Sailing on Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

Sailing on Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

Sailing on Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

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Native women of RC Gorman



RC Gorman at Wikipedia.

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Southeast Alaska Natives test connection to ancient mariner.
"Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian Indians gathering in Juneau today will get a chance to prove they're directly related to one of the very first Alaskans - a 10,300-year-old mariner whose bear-chewed bones were discovered a decade ago in a cave on Prince of Wales Island..."

Reopening of Tribes 131, Native American art gallery. Norman Oklahoma.

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An article about Tlingit musician and glassblower, Preston Singletary.
[From the article.] "I normally say I'm a musician trapped in the body of a glassblower. My visual art is what keeps me rolling along," Singletary said. "I think music would have been my first choice, but it didn't really pan out for me so I kinda fell back on my art career..."

Incredible translation of traditional Northwest Coast forms -mask,rattle,baskets,etc.- to the glass medium.

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Native HipHop board/forums.

Local Bead Store Alliance

Toronto area Natives; Exhibit your wearable art. June 30 deadline.

Tim Giago article; Mt. Rushmore Seen Through Native Eyes.
"... you may see them as you have never seen them before... Teddy Roosevelt spoke about how to take the remaining lands of the Indians by war. He said, "It is a primeval warfare and it is waged as war was waged in the ages of bronze and of iron. All the merciful humanity that even war has gained during the last two thousand years is lost. It is a warfare where no pity is shown to noncombatants."
Abraham Lincoln signed off on a horrible execution by hanging of 38 Dakota warriors. It was the largest mass hanging in the history of America. Thomas Jefferson, a slave holder, signed off on the Louisiana Purchase, thus stealing millions of acres of land from the many Indian nations living on that land. In the long run it caused suffering, death and poverty that is still felt in that region even to this day. George Washington ordered the military extermination of the Indian people of New England..."

New Northwest Coast art book on argyllite carving;Breathing Stone: Contemporary Haida Argillite Sculpture. [Via Clint.]

The Fine Line Between Art and History.
"... two murals that reflect an ugly side of Western settlement not shown in the rest of the work. The first illustrates two white settlers who appear to be arguing with a Native American man, and in the next panel, the settlers are preparing a hangman's noose while the Native American kneels between them. The image is shocking in its blatant depiction of such a violent act and deeply unsettling to view in life-sized scale..."

Indian Doll Art Works

Buffy Sainte-Marie performs at the annual Concert of Colors in July, in Detroit.

Zion Canyon Art and Flute Festival June 13 through June 15

Austin Real Rider, Pawnee ceramic sculptorhonoured at the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival.

How-to: repaint that old bike.

Turquoise Tortoise Gallery ; Sedona.

Review of Celebration 2008: 26th year of the popular dance-and-culture festival.
"Celebration was conceived in 1980 at the first Sealaska Elders conference. At that meeting, Elders asked Sealaska to help preserve and perpetuate the culture of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people. In response, Sealaska founded the Sealaska Heritage Institute, and in 1982, the Institute organized the first Celebration..."

Another Native blog, Native American Flutes and Music

Cincinati's Indian Market and Festival coming up, June 21/22. Sponsored by the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

In one of the more interesting experiments in Native Art; Red Earth art links cultures, species.
"... Cheyenne-Arapaho artist Brent Learned, 38, teamed up with Asia the elephant from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to create the unusual piece...
Asia used a variety of colors to create part of the painting first. Learned said he took his inspiration from the shapes the elephant made and created a profile of an old American Indian man.
Asia's brushstrokes can largely be seen in the hair of the old man. Learned equated the collaborative process to looking for shapes in a cloud..."

Walk a mile in my moccasins, at Winterville Mounds State Park, Mississipi.
"... In this weeklong workshop, which begins on June 16, children ages 5 to 12 will create Native American-inspired art like gourd bowls, corn husk dolls, and replica canoes. As as they complete these projects, the participants will also learn about Native American customs, culture, and history..."

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Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Minnows and Pelicans

Incredible pictures of one of Earth's last uncontacted tribes... in Brazil/Peru border area.
"'We did the overflight to show their houses, to show they are there, to show they exist,' said Brazilian uncontacted tribes expert José Carlos dos Reis Meirelles Junior. 'This is very important because there are some who doubt their existence.'
Meirelles, who despite once being shot in the shoulder by an arrow fired by another tribe campaigns to protect these peoples, believes this group's numbers are increasing, and pointed out how strong and healthy the people seemed.
But other uncontacted groups in the region, whose homes have been photographed from the air, are in severe danger from illegal logging in Peru and populations are being decimated..."

Net neutrality bill hits House of Commons.
"The private member's bill, C-552, is in reaction to moves by some of Canada's largest internet service providers (ISPs), including Bell Canada Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc., to limit their customers' uses of the internet."

B.C. natives travel to U.S. for ancestors' remains.
"... The remains, some of which date back 2,000 years, were removed from grave sites by American archaeologist Harlan Ingersoll Smith in the 1890s and 1900s, and then sold to museums for $5 a skull or up to $10 for a whole skeleton...."

Spread FireFox Day. Help Mozilla FireFox 3 set a Guinness World Record for one-day software downloads, in mid-June.

Did early hominins shuffle before they walked upright?

Novel bacterial species found trapped in Greenland's ice [120 000 year old ice].

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Minnows in, Pelicans on... Rainy Lake.
Minnows in Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

Minnows in Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

Pelicans on Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

Pelicans on Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

Pelicans on Rainy Lake. Broken Vulture Art.

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Tlingit helmet sells at auction for nearly $2.2 million.
"Steve Henrikson, a curator at the Alaska State Museum, said there are only 90 to 95 known Tlingit warrior helmets in existence. Most are in museums or private collections. He said it is remarkable for such helmet to surface after so many years."

Another Native Art blog; MISHIBINIJIMA

Folk Art Native American Beaded Hat

Clarence Two Toes #8, has dropped. Also, check out the MoosegutsLive blog.

List of Star wars planets. Just because.

ON COMMON GROUND; National Media Arts Conference and Festival.
"The Alternator Gallery for Contemporary Art is pleased to announce a major cultural gathering to celebrate Indigenous film, video and new media art by international, national and local artists from June 10 to June 15, 2008...
An inclusive celebration supported by local Indigenous communities, On Common Ground will welcome hundreds of groundbreaking artists for screenings, exhibitions, performances, keynote speeches, panel discussions and an exciting array of other cross-cultural exchanges..."

Using arts festival to help make a statement.
"He said people often tell him aboriginals and non-aborginals need to get over their differences and focus on what they have in common. "And I agree with that, but before we get past our differences we have to understand them."
He said most Canadians don't understand the history of residential schools as institutions of assimilation and how 50,000 to 120,000 native children who attended the schools never made it home.
"That's genocide," he said..."

Tom Jackson is putting together his own movie studio.

Heard (museum) exhibit showcases work of Tony Abeyta.

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Portrait of a thief. Article about the Bill Reid theft and the state of art theft investigation in Canada.


Police seeking tipster in Bill Reid art theft.

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Native Spirit Festival will be accepting submissions until August 1, 2008.

Machu Picchu 'ransacked 40 years before its discovery'.
"... a research team including a British scientist believe that "the lost city of the Incas" could have been "discovered" more than four decades previously, by a German adventurer who looted the site with the help of the Peruvian government..."

Crazy Horse monument turns 60; may take another 60 years.

The Red Lake [NW Ontario] Museum is hosting the Red Lake Woodland Arts Festival:A Tribute to Norval Morrisseau and the Woodland Artists.

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